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A total of 35 pilot whales have been swimming into deeper waters Thursday away from the shallow spot in Everglades National Park where dozens of whales had been stranded, officials said. NBC 6's Ari Odzer reports. (Published Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013)

Updated at 4:03 PM PDT on Thursday, Dec 5, 2013

A total of 35 pilot whales have been swimming into deeper waters Thursday away from the shallow spot in Everglades National Park where dozens of whales had been stranded, officials said.

The whales were swimming northwest in three pods in about 18 feet of water and about 6 miles west of Clover Key, NOAA spokeswoman Blair Mase said Thursday.

Rescue Workers Continue Efforts to Save Stranded Whales

Rescue workers headed back to Everglades National Park Thursday to try to save some of the dozens of pilot whales that have been stranded in shallow waters. (Published Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013)

Mase said the news was encouraging because it means the whales may be leaving the site of the stranding.

"We were surprised that they were not in the area, and that they had moved so far north," she said.

Efforts To Rescue Stranded Whales To Resume Thursday

A total of 10 pilot whales have died and another 41 remain stranded in a remote area of Everglades National Park, officials said Wednesday. Rescue efforts were suspended after dark Wednesday, but were expected to resume Thursday morning. NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez reports. (Published Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013)

National Park Spokeswoman Discusses Stranded Whales

A total of 11 have died, 35 are alive and at least five were missing. All age classes were represented in the whales, Mase said.

"The good news is they are in deeper water, and they are getting closer to their normal home range," Mase said.

10 Whales Dead, 41 Still Stranded

A total of 10 pilot whales have died and another 41 remain stranded in a remote area of Everglades National Park, officials said Wednesday afternoon. NBC 6's Ari Odzer reports. (Published Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013)

At 2:30 p.m., rescue workers headed back to shore because the whales were too far out, but the Coast Guard stayed with them to guide them. When they left, the whales were about six miles offshore.

Mase added their normal home range is in 900 to 1,000 feet of water, and they need to get into about 100 feet of water or more, or about 15 miles offshore at least.

"We're cautiously optimistic," Mase said.

Mase added that the situation could go either way, and that necropsies were performed on the dead animals and scientists will study to see what may have caused the stranding.

Mase added that if the animals are no longer in the area on Friday, and they continue to move into deeper waters, the rescue effort will be discontinued.

On Wednesday, park rangers responded and found six whales dead, and another four had to be euthanized, officials said. Rangers worked with NOAA Fisheries, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Marine Mammal Conservancy and Marine Animal Rescue Society to try to herd the rest of the 41 whales into deeper waters Wednesday.

But efforts to herd the close-knit animals out of the area, which is about an hour from the nearest boat ramp, had not been successful. One reason is the animals don't want to separate.